BCAA

Summer 2012

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the street: Cumberland's Dunsmuir Avenue Coal seams give way to hipster dreams on a Vancouver Island village high-road DRINKS Slurp great java or Cumberland Fog tea at the shack-like Cumberland Grind (2753 Dunsmuir). Nearby, the Wandering Moose Café has colonized the old post office; its decadent strawberriesand-cream smoothie hits the spot (wanderingmoose.ca). Once the sun slides from Dunsmuir's rainbowhued façades, join Cumberlanders at the Waverley Pub, a de facto community hall. Originally an 1886 temperance guesthouse, it now boasts a sharp array of brews — including Phillips Blue Buck Ale — and a Thursday-to-Saturday menu of foot-stomping up-andcoming bands (waverleyhotel.ca). O ne of the Island's busiest pioneer-era communities, Cumberland lured Asian and European coal miners to its abundantly sooty seams between its founding in 1888 and last mine closure in 1966. An opera house, grand post office and clapboard stores soon sprang up along Dunsmuir Avenue (named for B.C.'s most successful coal baron), while gritty labour disputes and devastating fires in the 1930s kept things lively – until the black gold dried up. Two decades later, artsy youngsters then moved in to what Lucky Lager-drinking locals still call "Dodge City." And Dunsmuir's vintage buildings – revitalized as charming cafés, indie boutiques and a heritagefeel hostel – are now an authentic backdrop for a revitalized community and its 20 km of historyhugging bike trails. –John Lee 12 W E S T W O R L D p12-13_TheStreet.indd 12 >> [ MAY Empire Days JUNE Miners' Memorial Day Weekend AUGUST The Big Time Out The Go Spots SHOPS Dark Side Chocolates hooks cacao-craving locals with its velveteen mint melties and crunch-topped salted caramels (darksidechocolates.com). A variety store for coolsters, Rusty Rooster next door fuses Smoking Lily togs and "upcycled" renovated furniture (2722 Dunsmuir), while the nearby Patch Big Store is a pink-painted corner shop of new and vintage duds (2706 Dunsmuir). For that essential Dylan vinyl album or Nutty Club moneybox, peruse the collectible esoterica at Mind's Eye (2755 Dunsmuir). EATS Locals drop by daily at chatty Cumberland Village Bakery for ham croissants and almond berry tarts (2747 Dunsmuir), SUMMER 2012 ] sometimes adding a naughty slice across the road at Riders Pizza; the veggie-packed Cumberlander is highly recommended (riders pizza.com). Work it off with a bike ride (islandmountainrides.com; cumberlandbc.org), but not before an extra fuel-up of deli sandwiches and patio-basking at Tarbell's (tarbellsdeli.ca). For dinner, make a beeline for the Gatehouse Bistro — beside the mothballed red doubledecker bus — for some mouth watering brandy-braised lamb shank (thegatehousebistro.com). WILD CARD Recalling the region's gnarly past, the Cumberland Museum's eclectic treasures include evocative photographs of bygone Japanese residents and apothecary bottles from what was once one of B.C.'s largest Chinatowns. But it's the walk-through coal-mine exhibit — aptly reached via a steep stairwell in the basement — that's most striking, particularly because it is far wider than the real thing. Head back into the sun with a $2 Heritage Walking Tour booklet from the front desk; local landmarks include the under-renovation art deco Ilo-Ilo Theatre. cumber landmuseum.ca; cumberlandbc.org The author sates his sweet tooth on the 'Dark Side' of Cumberland: bcaa.com/chocolat Y Member savings and benefits for B.C. travel: bcaa.com/bc Jeff Topham, (tins) John Lee 4/19/12 7:01:49 AM

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